The 3 R's of Pitching

The 3 R's of Pitching
By guest author: Rick Harig

Realize the basic premise that the pitcher has the advantage. This is the foundation for a successful pitcher. Hitting a baseball is said to be the hardest thing to do in all of sport. The pitcher needs to remember that. "If the swing by a right-hand batter is seven milliseconds (.007) too late, the squarely hit ball will sail foul past first base." - Robert Adair, a Yale physicist who has studied the science of baseball, referring to a 90mph fastball.

Recognize when you, as the pitcher, lose your focus. How do you avoid a big inning? You avoid it by recognizing that you have been taken out of your game and only then can you adjust and refocus to the task at hand. Many pitching plans include some avoidance of "the big inning". It is easy to talk about, but after one of these "big innings" takes place, the pitcher usually only understands it when reflecting back on it after the game and on the chaos that surrounded him while it was going on. The pitcher needs a thought-stopping cue from himself to help recognize that he has lost his focus. It is important to do this so he can pitch in the present and not in the past. The thought stopping cue could be as simple as "STOP", or "play in the now".

Refocus to the task at hand. Once the pitcher "snaps out of it" and concentrates on the present, then he can pitch to his potential and win the situation. The pitcher who analyzes and frets on how all those guys got on base will not be able to refocus into the present to do the job. A routine or mental cue can help with focus. The pitcher needs to let it flow and let the right side of the brain take over. He can only do this if the mind in clear and free of distracting thoughts. Here is an example of how a pitcher can get back into the now by letting his left brain guide him and set his right brain up for the actual pitch. Use the dirt circle of the mound as the positive / negative ground. Whenever he catches himself being negative he goes into the grass. At that time, he can tell himself anything he wants, he can worry about all the runners, the errors and walks that got them there, whatever he wants. However, the second he gets back onto the dirt he is positive and ready to get the next guy out! A routine like this combined with some proper breathing can get the pitcher to stay in a positive, non-distracting mode. Hopefully he spends most of his time in the dirt and stays in the now.

Every pitcher needs a plan. There is not one pitcher in the history of baseball that has gone through his career, let alone a season, or even a game, without adversity. No matter how good a pitcher is he will face dilemmas in games that he needs to have a plan for. It is too easy to say, "Be a bulldog, go get them". Sure successful pitchers have bulldog characteristics and competitive success models built in that they do not even know about, but there is no need to analyze that. It is the pitcher's past experiences, successes, and failures that have given him those built in characteristics. It is the future challenges that the pitcher will face as he progresses to higher levels of competition in his career that he needs the above to help advance his success rate.

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Baseball Coaching Digest - What Are the 12 Most Common Ways That Pitchers Commit a Balk in Baseball?

By Nick Dixon

A balk is any action taken by the pitcher to deliberately deceive a base runner or base runners, to gain an unfair advantage. When a balk is called by the umpire, time is called, and all base runners are awarded a one-base advance. It is a judgment rule made by one of the umpires.

Here are what I consider to be the 12 most common balk calls in baseball at all levels of play.


The pitcher delivers from the set position without coming to a stop.
The pitcher causes an unnecessarily delay the game.
The pitcher fakes a throw to first base, without stepping off the rubber, and does not throw the ball to first base. (The pitcher is allowed to fake a throw to second and third base when a runner is occupying those bases. If the pitcher steps off the rubber, he does not have to make the throw.)
The pitcher does not step toward a base when making a throw to that base. The 45 degree rule applies in this case.
The pitcher makes his normal pitching motion but does not throw the ball to the plate.
The pitcher throws to an unoccupied base when not making a play on an advancing runner. The pitcher can throw to an unoccupied base if a runner is attempting to advance to that base.
The pitcher makes an illegal pitch. This may be a quick pitch or a pitch throw before the batter is judged to be set by the umpire.
The pitcher performs his normal or natural pitching motion used to deliver a pitch without being on the pitching rubber.
The pitcher fakes a pitch without the having the baseball while on or off the rubber.
While he is on the rubber, the pitcher drops the baseball. This applies whether the baseball is accidentally or intentionally dropped.
The pitcher delivers from the set position without coming to a stop.
The pitcher turns the shoulders toward first base after coming to the set position.

I am sure that you can name a couple more ways that a pitcher can balk. These are the 12 that I see the most from my point of view. I hope that you found this article to be informative and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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The Biggest Problem With Baseball Pitching - High Pitch Count & How to Avoid It

The Biggest Problem With Baseball Pitching - High Pitch Count & How to Avoid It
By Jack D. Elliott

An ace pitcher is like the golden goose for many high school baseball teams. He can produce a lot of gold or wins if his team uses him properly. However, over use him and you risk serious physical injury to him and/or reduction in the effectiveness in his baseball pitching at the end of the season at a time when you need them to be at their best. Over the last few years, the issue of high pitch counts has come up again and again as ace pitchers are used late in the playoffs to play the 1st and 3rd games of a 3 game playoff series. The desire to win seems to override any concern for the pitcher's health.

Why is this such a health risk to pitchers? The baseball throwing motion is an unnatural motion because you are bringing the arm over the shoulder to throw the baseball. In actuality, an underarm motion is a more natural motion. The over-arm motion puts a large amount of strain on a pitcher's arm. His rotator cuff, elbow, and whole bunch of smaller muscles are put under tremendous stress during each pitching outing. When the pitch counts rise, this creates additional strain on these parts which can lead to serious physical injury.

The challenging issue is how to best address this baseball pitching issue. Here, are a few tips to help ensure your pitcher's safety:

1. Preemptive Strike: Parents should voice their concern to the coach early in the season about high pitch counts. Ideally, a coach would already have his pitchers on pitch counts for their games. Unfortunately, this is more the exception than the rule.

2. Rally Support: Parents should win public support with the other parents throughout the season to make it known that the parents as a whole do not support high pitch counts. Essentially, you want to make it known that winning thru high pitch counts will not be acceptable.

3. Create An Arbitrary 100 Pitch Limit: Parents should not let this be a gray area for pitchers. Parents should voice concerns whenever a pitcher throws more than 100 pitches in a game. This should be raised as an issue every time this occurs in a game and voiced to the coaching staff and the other parents.

4. Encourage Staff Development: Coaches and parents can encourage others to pitch for the team. The development of a pitching rotation will decrease the opportunities for pitchers to get high pitch counts. The reason is simply that the coach will have the ability to put in other pitchers when the pitch counts start to rise.

5. Don't rely on players to make a case: Parents cannot rely on their sons to tell the coach when they are hurting or have thrown too many pitchers. Most competitive high school baseball pitchers will never want to be taken out of a game. They will be caught up in the prospect of trying to win the game and will risk their health in the process. Parents should step in and champion this case for their kids.

6. Treatment During Playoff Runs: High pitch counts tend to become the most significant issue in the playoffs when teams reduce their pitching rotation to put only their best pitchers out there. During this time, parents should make certain pitchers are taking care of their arms. At the very least, pitchers should be icing their arms after every game and not pitch for the next two days when possible. Make you're your team has the appropriate equipment to help sore arms. Proper equipment includes baseball jackets for pitchers and ice wraps. Pitchers should be wearing a jacket over their pitching arm when they are not pitching. Although these steps will not remove the risk of injury, they will help reduce the severity.

Remember high pitch counts are not a situation that has to be tolerated or even required for good baseball pitching. With a little pre-planning by coaches and parents, most high pitch count situations can be avoided or limited. Winning matters, but it really isn't the most important thing.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Pitching/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott



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Using Video to Analyze Pitching Techniques

Using Video to Analyze Pitching Techniques
By Nate Barnett

One of the best ways to make sure your pitching techniques are free of any major problems is to use video to analyze the movements. The key to understanding your performance is to discover what in fact is preventing you from excelling on the mound. Professional baseball players use video all the time to detect changes in pitching technique, etc. Here are some things in the pitching motion to look for.

1. Leg Lift: The leg lift should be a smooth process without rocking backward. Many times pitchers get into trouble because their balance tends to be poor as they lean backwards with their chest. The body should stay slightly bent so the center of gravity remains in the middle of your body.

2. The Front Side: The front part of your body should remain closed off to the hitter for as long as possible. Many times guys with poor pitching technique tend to let their front arm and leg open up (exposing their chest to the hitter) before their front foot lands. Not only does this reduce velocity, but if affects the location of the pitches as well.

3. The Landing: When you review your video, check to see if the landing (when the foot lands) is balanced. Guys who tend to land on the front leg with the weight already shifted forward won't get enough energy transferred into the delivery.

4. The Finish: One of the biggest problems for younger pitchers who lack strength is falling off the mound before they have extended their body towards the catcher. They effectively peel away from the play and do not allow themselves to create the most energy possible.

Finally, in order to learn the best possible pitching techniques, you have to be able to watch yourself over the course of a season. Find someone to video tape you at the beginning of the season, the middle, and at the end at least. If you are uncertain as to what to look for, grab a coach to help you evaluate your movements. Using video is well worth your time if you're serious about improving your ability on the mound.

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.

After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett


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Baseball Pitching Mechanics - How Long is Your Stride?

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Article Title:
Baseball Pitching Mechanics - How Long is Your Stride?

By Dan Gazaway

How long should my stride be? That is a question that I get from many coaches, parents and pitchers. Many experts give their opinion of how long a stride should be; some say as long as you are tall, some say longer and some say 75% of your height. The answer is as far as your body will allow you to while maintaining proper pitching mechanics. You don't want to jump to foot strike (loosing balance and posture) just so you can add a foot to your stride. You want to push off the ball of your pivot foot while maintaining a closed posture to foot strike. Don't jeopardize your pitching mechanics at the expense of gaining distance. There is a way to do it right.

Why is a long stride important? There are two reasons why you need a good stride. One is to gather enough momentum to foot strike so your fastball has pop. The most exciting reason is that 1-foot = 3 mph perceived pitching velocity. The closer you are to home plate when you release the ball the better. To the batter's eye the ball appears to be going faster than it really is. So, you are working with distance. Furthermore, when you throw inside, the batter has to react that much quicker to the pitch as well. In order for him to hit the ball on the fat part of the bat, he has to react much quicker to get the bat around. Again, distance helps you as a pitcher.

How do you get a longer stride? Maintaining a proper strength and flexibility pitching workout is important. For example, if your hip flexors aren't conditioned to handle the demands of the workload pitching places on them, it will affect your distance and you will be more prone to injury. To add distance, try a delayed shoulder rotation. Some pitchers gain an extra 6 inches to a foot delaying their shoulder properly. Work on releasing the baseball later; this will also help you gain some pitching velocity.

Dan Gazaway is owner and founder of The Pitching Academy in Utah. He is known as a premiere pitching instructor and is an expert in the area of pitching mechanics. Coach Gazaway also teaches proper pitching grips, pitching workouts and drills.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Gazaway